Narrow Win for Tigers
(Posted 14/10/07)

Two rather makeshift sides lined up for Tigers final league meeting of the season with both Glasgow and Stoke operating rider replacement with Glasgow calling on the services of three guests whilst Stoke used two, with this meeting also brought to an early close after an horrific looking accident.

It was a stuttering start to the meeting, Lee Complin having obvious engine trouble on his practice laps then Ben Barker being excluded and going off 15m after coming to tapes with no dirt deflector fitted. Finally the first heat got underway but Complin wasn’t underway for long, his bike shuddering to a halt on the opening bends. Give Ben Barker his credit he gave chase and very nearly caught Lee Smart on the line, Smart just holding on by the narrowest of margins to give Tigers the best possible start.

Luke Priest suffered serious injuries in a crash over a year ago and it had been kept very quiet but he made his comeback for Stoke at reserve this afternoon. It was almost in the script that he would win his first race back and he duly obliged after baulking Lee Dicken in the early stages. The Stoke pair team rode and it looked as if Tigers advantage would be wiped out until Lee Dicken found drive off the final bend on the inside to beat Barrie Evans to the line.

Nieminen won heat 3 easily from the gate with the Stoke pairing filling the minor placings after Tacey passed inside Branney at the end of the opening lap. The Glasgow pairing of Leverington and Dicken made the gate in heat 4. Chris Schramm was all over the back of Lee Dicken however and Lee rode a superb blocking race thwarting the faster mans attempts to pass with some intelligent lines and just holding on to second place on the line.

It was followed by another 5-1 for the home side, Nieminen shepherding Branney round for a comfortable 5-1 with Complin looking out of sorts in third place, presumably with bike trouble, whilst the other Potter Ben Barker didn’t even make it off the line.

Stoke hit back with a 5-1 of their own courtesy of Schramm and Evans in heat 6 then compounded Tigers woe with Complin and Tacey doing the same in heat 7, both times there was no real challenge.

The two Lee’s – Dicken and Smart – decided to get in on the act with a 5-1 in heat 8 again relatively unchallenged although there was a scary moment on the third bend of the opening lap when Lee Smart got out of shape a little and Lee Dicken did well to quickly change line and avoid him.

Heat 9 was also from the gate, Kauko wining comfortably with the Stoke pairing filling the minor placings

After a number of non competitive heats, there as a good battle in heat 10 between Kauko Nieminen and Shaun Tacey, Kauko coming out on top after passing on the outside at the end of the third lap. Lee Smart was unfortunate to suffer an engine failure whilst lying third under pressure from Chris Schramm.

Lee Complin showed exactly why people find him entertaining to watch in heat 11 when he found an incredible line on the pits bend after completely missing the gate to go from last to first in the space of a few yards. He went on to win the race with his partner Ben Barker passing Michael Coles at the end of the second lap to get third place.

Again it was the Glasgow pairing that made the gate in heat 12 and Kauko was not going to relinquish it, going on to win. Stoke reserve Barrie Evans, who looked impressive all meeting, passed Lee Dicken in the early stages and Lee was left trying to fend off Shaun Tacey. Tacey trailed him until the final lap when he passed cleanly on the inside coming out of bend 2 to share the heat.

Gary Beaton got a ride out in heat 13, a rather harsh time to put the youngster in but although he finished at the back he was certainly not disgraced. Up front, Leverington had come out in front after tough opening bends but Complin again found that inside line on bend 2, this time on the second lap, and went on to win. Schramm was right on Trent’s tail for the entire race and again there was some excellent defensive speedway from the stand in captain to hold off everything Schramm could throw at him and hold on to second place.

An excellent ride from guest John Branney in heat 14 saw him win the race despite an early challenge from Ben Barker and with Tigers two points up it was again down to a last heat decider.

The bad luck that seemed to be hanging over Ashfield surfaced again however and instead of close racing being the talking point the meeting was marred by another horrendous looking accident. Tigers were on a 5-1 when Chris Schramm attempted an inside dive on Leverington in second on the third bend. It was misjudged, Schramm slid off and almost in slow motion his bike spun round and slid into the path of Complin with Schramm looking as if he was trying desperately to pull the bike back despite being on the ground. Unfortunately contact was made, neither rider could really have done anything to avoid it but it catapulted Complin clean over the safety fence which at that point stands a good 10 feet high and towards the wall in front of the bar. A panicked Schramm must have been one of the first to Complin, he literally threw himself over the fence to check on his team mate. Remarkably after treatment Complin was able to hobble to the ambulance although a visit to hospital later seems to indicate he may have broken a bone in his foot. Naturally we wish Lee, one of the most exciting riders in the Premier League, all the very best for a quick recovery.

After such a bad afternoon, it was almost a relief when the promotions quickly decided with the referees backing that the sensible decision was to abandon the meeting.

The Stoke meeting was a pretty poor encounter from a speedway point of view. Kauko quietly posted a paid maximum with Trent also riding very confidently. Special mention has to go to late stand in guests Lee Smart and John Branney who both did a sterling job and also to Stoke’s Barrie Evans who looked very comfortable round Ashfield. It’s just a shame that the Premier League season at Ashfield finished in such a manner and we wish all the riders injured in today’s meetings a speedy recovery.